Scioto County Commissioner Scottie Powell says “things are happening at CPS” to change the agency for the better.
The commissioners recently took over control of the troubled agency from the Children Services Board, which saw its administrative role reduced to that of an advisory board. Children’s Services is now part of Scioto County Job and Family Services.
Powell said the agency currently has responsibility for 371 children. On the upside, he said 10 adoptions are scheduled to happen soon. “That’s very exciting for those children and for those families.”
He said the agency is expected to receive several grants soon, including money for Christmas gift cards for children, a grant for a new caseworker, and one to partner with an outside agency to improve adoption services. “There’s a lot of things happening there. CPS and JFS have been working great together.”
Powell said JFS director Tammy Moore Morton and CPS Director Jason Mantell were working well together and providing frequent updates to commissioners about their progress. “They’re digging in. Tammy’s learning everything she can. It’s moving forward. A year from now, when the dust settles, we’ll see that the agency is more efficient and more effective.”
Powell said JFS staff was determined to make sure CPS staff feel welcome and were planning out-of-office get-to-know-you time to make sure everyone gets to know each other. “Also, for the first time in the history of the state, statewide JFS is paying for a consultant to come down to work out JFS and CPS to evaluate our procedures. This is a next step on top of what they’ve done with the rapid response team.”
Davis said the state JFS was also looking at its own policies and procedures. “This is huge. That’s always been a complaint.”